Flat adjusting and throw-off arrangement for form roller in printing press

ABSTRACT

A mechanism for achieving adjustment and throw-off of the cylinders and rollers of a printing press which includes eccentric collars for mounting the plate cylinder and which includes sockets with adjustable stops for mounting the form rollers, the sockets being inwardly biased. A cam ring which is generally concentric with the plate cylinder provides sloping stop surfaces, or cams, in the path of biased movement of the stops on the form roller sockets to position the sockets so that the form rollers have a desired width of flat with respect to the plate on the plate cylinder. An adjusting screw on the frame of the press, and which is coupled to the ring, serves to rock the ring through a limited angle thereby to cam the roller sockets outwardly or inwardly with respect to the plate cylinder to vary the width of flat while the press is in motion. In the preferred embodiment the cam ring axis is made slightly eccentric with respect to the axis of the plate cylinder so that when the eccentric collars which mount the plate cylinder are rotated to achieve throw-off between the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder, the relative rocking of the cam ring causes the stop surfaces thereon to move radially outward of the plate cylinder for simultaneous and automatic throw-off of the form rollers from the plate cylinder. Each form roller socket assembly has an arm, a bearing mount pivoted thereon, and an adjustable stop member. A first adjusting screw with an associated spring is interposed between the arm and the bearing mount for adjusting the roller with respect to the ink drum. A second adjusting screw, with a spring is interposed between the arm and the stop member for adjusting the roller with respect to the plate cylinder. Each adjusting screw has a deeply detented seating member for shifting the screw endwise against its spring for achieving independent throw-off without affecting the adjusted condition of the screw.

United States Patent James et a1.

[72] Inventors: Cyril P. James, La Grange; Bohdan Washchynsky,Westchester, both of 111.

731 Assignee: North American Rockwell Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.

[22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1970 [211 Appl. No.: 91,362

Primary Examiner-J. Reed Fisher 4tt0rney-J0hn R Bronaugh et al.

[451 Sept. 19, 1972 57 ABSTRACT A mechanism for achieving adjustment andthrowoff of the cylinders and rollers of a printing press which includeseccentric collars for mounting the plate cylinder and which includessockets with adjustable stops for mounting the form rollers, the socketsbeing inwardly biased. A cam ring which is generally concentric with theplate cylinder provides sloping stop surfaces, or cams, in the path ofbiased movement of the stops on the form roller sockets to position thesockets so that the form rollers have a desired width of flat withrespect to the plate on the plate cylinder. An

adjusting screw on the frame of the press, and which is coupled to thering, serves to rock the ring through a limited angle thereby to cam theroller sockets outwardly or inwardly with respect to the plate cylinderto vary the width of flat while the press is in motion. In the preferredembodiment the cam ring axis is made slightly eccentric with respect tothe axis of the plate cylinder so that when the eccentric collars whichmount the plate cylinder are rotated to achieve throwoff between theplate cylinder and the impression cylinder, the relative rocking of thecam ring causes the stop surfaces thereon to move radially outward ofthe plate cylinder for simultaneous and automatic throw-off of the formrollers from the plate cylinder. Each form roller socket assembly has anarm, a bearing mount pivoted thereon, and an adjustable stop member. Afirst adjusting screw with an associated s rin i inte osed between thearm and the bearin 0115: i or ad ji tsting the roller with respect tothe in drum. A second adjusting screw, with a spring is interposedbetween the arm and the stop member for adjusting the roller withrespect to the plate cylinder. Each adjusting screw has a deeplydetented seating member for shifting the screw endwise against itsspring for achieving independent throw-off without affecting theadjusted condition of the screw.

ll Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEB SEP 19 1912 sum 5 or 5 PNENTED3.691.956

- sum 6 or 6 I FLAT ADJUSTING-AND THROW-OFF ARRANGEMENT FOR FORMROLLER'IN PRINTING PRESS A conventional letterpress' used in the; printing of.newspapers-and the like employsa,-printing couple consistingof a platecylinder to which a printing plate is secured and an impressioncylinder, with the web to be printed running between the two cylinders.A film of .inkisconveyed tothe surface of the printing pla'teby -meansof resiliently surfaced form rollers which run in contactwith theprinting plate and also in contact'with thesurface of an ink drum towhichink is supplied by a series of rollers from an ink fountain Toinsure that all printing areas of the plate are adequately inked,the-form roller is preferably pressed in the direction of the platecylinder to form a flat.at the region of engagement with the plate. Theamount of pressure, as evidenced by width of flat; is not critical inthe case of stereotype plates in whichthe printing areas are in highrelief. However in the case of chemically etched plates the relief isconsiderably less and there is 'ment. It is a moredetailed object inthis connection to provide an inkroller socket assemblywhich not onlypermits precise adjustment of pressure and position but.

which includes 'means for independent throw-off of eachform roller withrespect to the plate cylinder and ink drum respectively.

It is a-general object of the present invention to provide means toeffect a running adjustment of Hart simple in construction and capableof operating risk that-some of the ink will be forced, by the resilientsurface of the form roller, down into the non-printing hollows to causeundesired fill-in. Even where care' is exercised toprovide the desiredwidth of flat on start- -u p, the expansion of the plate cylinder andform rollers maybe-sufficient to increase the pressure and width of flatto-an excessive degree as the press comes up'to operating temperature.

There is, therefore, a need for means for 'conveniently changing thewidth of flat on-the fonnroller to compensate for an increase intemperature'with the .press in-motion.

-It-is, accordingly, an object of the present invention toprovide meansfor precisely positioning a form roller with respect to its associatedplate cylinderto establish a desired width of flat atthe region ofengagementon start-up and to permit a fine adjustment of the position ofthe form roller to reestablish the desired width of flat after 'warm upand with the .press in motion. It is a re- ;lated object to provide aform roller adjusting means which permits simultaneous adjustment offlat width at two different form rollers using but a single, calibratedcontrol at each end of the rollers.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an adjustingarrangement for a pair of form rollers which utilizes a cam ring whichis ro'ckably mounted at the end of the plate cylinder and which has onits periphery cam surfaces arranged blockingly in the path of movementof biased ink roller socket assemblies with means for manually rockingthe ring through a limited arc to change the working position of the inkroller sockets.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink rolleradjusting and-throw-off mechanism which not only permits throw-off, orseparation, of the plate cylinder with respect to the impressioncylinder, but which brings about a simultaneous, automatic throw-off ofthe form rollers from the surface of the plate on the plate cylinder.

It is an object of the invention in one of its aspects to provide asocket assembly and actuating mechanism which permits running adjustmentof the flat on the form rollers and which includes means for preciselyadjusting the initial condition of flat to establish a referencecondition for the subsequent running adjustwithout care or maintenanceover long periods of time. A Other objects and advantages of theinvention will 'become'apparent upon reading the attached detaileddescription andu'pon reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. '1 is a diagramatic end view of a flat adjusting and throw-offmechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1. FIG.2a is a diagram showing independent controls for the cam rings and aunitary control for simultaneously rocking the eccentric collars forthrowoff.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of one of the socket roller assemblies ofFIG. -1.

FIG. 4'is a'fragmentary section looking along the line. 4-4inj FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section looking along the line 5-5 inFIG. 3.

FIG. 6'is' an exploded perspective of the socket assembly shown'in FIG.3. r

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a typical running adjustment to correctexcess flat width.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing simultaneous throw-off of the plate cylinderand form rollers.

FIG. '8a is a diagram on an enlarged scale showing the shifting ofthe'centers.

FIG. 9 shows independent throw-off of the form roller by'r'neans'on theink roller socket.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective, in partial section, showing a deeplydetented seating member interposed under thehead of the screw.

While the invention has been described in connection with certainembodiments, it will be understood that there is no intention to limitthe invention to these embodiments and that we intend to cover thevarious alternative and equivalent constructions included within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there isshown a portion of a printing press of well-known type used for printingnewspapers and the like having a printing couple which consists of aplate cylinder 11 and impression cylinder 12. The plate cylinder has astubshaft l3 centered on its axis 14 and which is mounted in a suitablebearinglS.

For the purpose of shifting the plate cylinder away form the impressioncylinder to achieve a condition of throw-off the bearing 15 is mountedin an eccentric collar 16 having an axis 17 and which is fitted in acircular bore 18 formed in the press side member or frame 20. For thepurpose of holding the collar captive against endwise movement thecollar is fitted with a retaining ring 21 on the left hand side and witha flange 22 on the right hand side which is secured to the collar by aseries of cap screws 23. For rocking the collar 16, the flange 22 isfitted with a connection 24-which is engaged by a thrust rod 25connected to a conventional throw-off control diagramatically indicated,in FIG. 2a, at 26. lt will be understood thatcorresponding structureincluding a stubshaft, bearing, collar and thrust rod are provided atthe opposite end of the plate cylinder so that when the control 26 isoperatedthe collars l6are rotated in the same direction and to equaldegree.

For the sake of completeness, mention may be made of the fact that theimpression cylinder 12 has a stubshaft 33 for rotation about an axis 34in a bearing 35 which is mounted in a fixed collar 36 secured to theframe plate by a circle of machine screws 37. The shafts 13, 33 arerotated in unison by suitable driving means.

It is oneof the features of the disclosed press that it is intendedespecially for printing plates havingonly limited relief on the order ofa few hundredths of an inch or less as contrasted with stereotype platesin which the type is cast with high relief.,The'web, which is fed in acontinuous length, is passed around the impression cylinder 12 to takethe printed impression, the cylinder being covered with a blanket ofpaper or the like of a hardness appropriate to low relief.

For the purpose-of conveying an ink film to the printing surfaces of theplate, an ink feed system consisting of an ink fountain and a pluralityof feed rollers (not shown) is provided terminating in a hard surfacedink drum 40 having a shaft 41 which is journaled in the conventional wayin the frame plates of the press. A film of ink is conveyed from the inkdrum 40 to the plate by a pair of resilient form rollers 42, 42a whichare located on the opposite sides of the ink drum,and which, underrunning conditions, bear upon both the drum and plate so that the inkfilm on the plate'is constantly renewed.

For supporting the form roller 42, the stubshaft 43 at the end of theroller is mounted in an ink roller socket generally indicated at 50 andshown in detail in FIGS. 3-6. The socket includes an arm 51 (seeespecially FIG. 6) which is pivoted to the frame on a screw 52 whichserves as a pivot pin and which is located in the region of engagement53 of the form roller with the ink drum. The remote end of the arm,indicated at 54, is biased in the direction of the plate cylinder bymeans of a spring 55 which is seated in a spring support 56 securedto'the frame by screws 57. Pivoted to the arm on a stud 60 is a bearingmount 61 carrying an anti-friction bearing 62 for journaling thestubshaft 43 at the end of the roller.

For thepurpose of adjusting the pressure between the form roller 42 andthe ink drum 40, the stud 60 on which the bearing mount is pivoted islocated in the region of engagement 63 between the form roller and platecylinder, with an adjusting screw for holding the bearing mount in adesired angular position. The screw, indicated at 70, has a hexagonalhead 71 in the form of a nut which is fixed to the screw by a pin 72.For supporting the screw in the arm 51, the arm is provided with anextension 73 which mounts a supporting member 74 having a projectingportion, or post,

through which the screw is freely telescoped. lnterposed between thesupport 74 and the head 7] of the screw is a detented seating member 75to which more detailed reference will be made. It will suffice for thepresent to say that the screw head 71 is maintained seated with respectto the support 74 by a coil spring 76 which encircles the screw andwhich bears against a nut 77 fixed to the central portion of the screwby a pin 78.

To couple the adjusting screw 70 to the bearing mount 61 the screw isthreadedinto a transversely threaded post 79 which carries a stud 80extending through the bearing mount, the latter having at its end, a nut81. Providing clearance for the stud 80 is an arcuately shaped clearanceopening 82 formed in the portion 73 of the arm. It will be apparent,then, that when the screw 70 is rotated by a wrench engaging the'head71, the post 79 and its stud 80 will be moved in one direction or theother to move the bearing mount 61 r and the form roller which itcarries, either toward or away from the ink drum 40.

While the discussion has been centered upon the ink roller socket 50associated with the form roller 42, it will be understood that asimilarv construction isused in the socket 50a which supports the formroller 42a on he opposite side of the ink drum, except that all of theparts are constructed and arranged as a mirror image. Correspondingreference numerals, with addition of subscript a, are used'to denotecorresponding parts. It will further be understood that socket structurecorresponding to the sockets 50, 50a is employed at the opposite ends ofthe form rollers 42, 42a. In accordance with the present invention thearm 51 of the socket is mounted for swinging movement about a mountingpost 52 which is located in the region of engagement between the formroller and the ink drum, and a cam ring is provided at the end of theplate cylinder presenting a sloping cam surface which acts as a variablestop for positively positioning the arm of the ink roller socket therebyto permit variation of the width of flat on the form roller while thepress is in motion. In addition, to achieve an initial condition of flatadjustment, an adjustable stop member is provided on the arm 51effectively interposed between the socket structure and the cam surfaceon the ring. Thus, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cam ring is positionedat the end of the plate cylinder encircling the stubshaft l3 and seatedin a groove 91 formed in the collar 16 which supports the cylinderbearing. For maintaining the ring captive, a retaining flange 92 issecured by a circle of screws 93 to the inner axial end face of thecollar. To

facilitate assembly, the ring 90 is preferably formed in two halfcircles which are secured together by screws 94. Machined on theperiphery of the ring 90 is a sloping cam surface 95 which serves as avariable stop surface for the socket. It will be noted that the camsurface 95 has a height hl at one end which is just slightly higher thanthe height h2 at the other end.

Returning attention to the socket structure, the arm 51 of the socket isheld in working position by a stop member of arcuate shape having a stop101 at the center portion thereof lying in the same plane as the camsurface 95 of the ring. The stop member 100 is member 114 and thehead111 of the screw is a de-' tented seating member .1 15. The screw ismaintained in its seated position by means of a coil spring .116 whichseats on a nut 117 pinned to the central portion of the screwby atransversely extending pin .118. The tip of the screw is screwed into atransversely threaded pivot 119 of circular shape which is captive inthe arrn-51. It will ,be apparent, then, that when the screw 1.10 isrotated by a wrench fitted to its head 11 l, with the stop 101 inbottoming contact with the cam surface 95 on the ring, the arm 51 andthe form roller 42 which is secured to it will be moved radiallyinwardly or outwardly with respect to the plate cylinder 11 to permitinitial adjustment of the width of flat at the region of engagement 63between the form roller and plate cylinder.

in the case of the roller socket 50a, a second cam surface 95a isprovided on the cam ring for engagement by a stop 101a on stop member100a. An identical adjusting screw assembly is interposed between thestop member 100a and the arm 51a, with corresponding elements beingindicated by corresponding reference numerals with the addition ofletter subscript. it will be understood that the cam surfaces 95, 95aare so shaped that a given amount of rocking movement imparted to thecam ring produces an identical amount of radial movement at the axis ofeach of the form rollers.

For the purpose of rocking the cam ring 90 through a limited arc in onedirection or the other, an adjusting screw is provided which is securedto the frame of the press and which is coupled at its end to the ring.Thus, referring to FIG. 1, the adjusting screw indicated at l0 isrotatable but axially captive in a mount 131 which is fixed with respectto the press frame 20. At its outer end the adjusting screw 130 carriesan adjusting knob 132 while at its inner end the screw is threaded at133 for engagement with a transversely threaded pivot pin which ismounted on an arm 135 integrally formed with the ring 90. To severelylimit the amount of rocking throw of the ring 90, a stop 136 is providedon the frame in the path of movement of spaced stop surfaces defined byadjusting screws 137 138 mounted generally tangentially with respect tothe ring.

The operation of the structure thus far described will be apparent uponreferring to FIG. 7. Initially, adjusting screws 70, 70a are adjustedeither backwardly or forwardly, so that the form rollers 42, 42a are inproper running engagement with respect to the ink drum 40. Similarly,with the ring 90 in a reference position, the screws 110, 110a areadjusted with the plate in place on the plate cylinder so that a desiredamount of pressure is applied against the plate in the regions ofengagement 63, 63a, the desired pressure being that which producesthedesired width of flat on the form rollers.

However when the press is rolling the temperature of the cylinders androllers tends to increase, with the increase in the temperature of theplate cylinder bringing about an expansion in its radial dimension. 'Asa result, when operating temperature is achievedthe degree of flat atthe surfaces of the form rollers, and which is indicated at 63, 63a inFIG. 7 may become excessive.' lndeed the accompanying increase inpressure between the form rollers and the plate cylinder may besufficient so that the resilient surfacingmaterial on the form roller isforced into the relieved spaces betweenzthe printing areas to causefill-in.

To reduce the width of flat-and the pressure in the region ofengagement, the screw130by its knob'l32,'is rotated in a. directionwhich will move the ring 90 clockwise, say, from the position indicatedby the solid lines inFlG. 7 to the position indicated by the dottedlines. Thisrotates the cam surfaces 95, 95 a into a higherposition'relative to the stops 101, 101a so that V the stops are forcedradially outward with respect to the plate cylinder, thereby-to restorethe 'flat to optimum width.

It will be understood that a cam ring corresponding to the ring and anadjusting screw corresponding to the adjusting screw are provided at theopposite endof the plate cylinder for adjusting the sockets at theopposite end and that the knobs 132 at each end are identicallycalibrated so that a given amount of angular advancement of the knobsproduces a corresponding change in the width of fiat, thereby insuringthat the flat is of constant width along the entire length of the platecylinder. The width of flat may be monitored during the press run andcorrective adjustment may be made by the knobs 132 from time to time.Or, as a result of experience in prior press runs, the adjusting knobs132 may be rotated incrementally in accordance with a standard timeschedule without necessity for monitoring.

in accordance with a further aspect of the present invention the camrings 90 (one at each end) are mounted on the collars 16 for rockingmovement about an axis which is eccentric with respect to the axis ofthe plate cylinder so that when the collars are rocked in alined bores18 in a direction to achieve throw-off, or separation, of the platecylinder with respect to the impression cylinder, the cam surfaces 95,95a on the cam ring move radially outward with respect to the axis ofthe plate cylinder thereby to shift the stops 101, 101a on the socketsoutwardly to achieve simultaneous and automatic throw-off of the formrollers from the plate on the plate cylinder. This is accomplished bymachining the groove 91 in each collar 16 so that it is eccentric withrespect to the axis 14 of the plate cylinder bearing, the ring axisbeing indicated at in FIGS. 1 and 2. in order to achieve the desiredeffect the ring axis 140 should be located remotely with respect to thecollar or bore axis 17. In other words, the ring axis should lie beyondthe plate axis 14 so that, for a given amount of rotation of the collar,the ring axis is displaced more than the axis of the plate cylinder.With the form rollers located below the plate cylinder, and with theimpression cylinder at the upper right, the axes are horizontallyarranged in the order of: bore (collar) axis 17, cylinder axis 14, andcam ring axis 140;

In order to understand how the automatic throw-off of the form rollerscomes about, reference is made to FIGS. 8 and 8a. During rotation of thecollars through an-angle a, the plate cylinder axis moves from theposition 14 to the position 14a and the ring axis moves from theposition 140 to the position 140a. Because the ring axis is remote fromthe bore axis and since it starts its movement at a more favorable level(more favorable asfar as downward component is concerned) the ring isdisplaced downwardly (see FIG. 8a) by a greater amount than thecorresponding portion of the plate cylinder. This results in relativemovement of the form roller sockets away from the plate cylinder. Thus,at the same time that separation, or throw-off, occurs at the region 141between the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder, throw-off occursat the regions 63, 63a between the form roller and plate-cylinder.

- Referring more specifically to FIG. 8, it will be ap parent that themovement between the initial position 95 of the cam surface to the newposition 95' exceeds the movement measured either downwardly or radially(which ever is taken as a reference) of the engaged porroller and inkdrum. Thus, as shown in FIG. 10, the detion of the plate cylinder, whichmoves from position 11 to the new position 114, The difference in thesetwo movements is evidenced, first, by a release of the pressure appliedfrom the form roller 42 to the plate cylinder and, secondly, by theactual physical separation,or throw-off, of the form roller with respectto the plate cylinder.

Similarly in the case of the second form roller 42a, the cam surface 95amoves to a new position 95a while the corresponding engaged portion ofthe plate cylinder moves from position 11-to position 11a. While thecomponents of the motion are somewhat different in the case of thesecond form roller since it occupies a different peripheral position,with respect to the cluster of axes, nevertheless it will be apparentthat the displacement of the cam surface, 95a and hence displacement ofthe form roller, is greater than the displacement at the engaged portionof theplate cylinder so that there is a net outward shift of the formroller 42a resulting in separation or throw-off at the region 63a.

It is to be noted that during the simultaneous rocking of the collarsthe associated cam rings remain relatively stationary with respect tothe press frame since each is held captive, against rotation, by itsadjusting screw 130 which couples the ring to the press frame. Thus theportions of the cam surfaces 95, 95a presented to the roller sockets 50,50a remain substantially unchanged during the throw-off step so thatthrow-off of the form rollers is not dependent upon relative movementresulting from the slope of the cam surfaces. The eccentric mounting ofring 90, it is true, causes a lateral swing of the axis of adjusting.screw 130 from the position shown dotted in FIG. 8 to the positionindicated by the dotdash line, but such lateral swinging is readilytaken care of by providing a universal joint at the upper end of theadjusting screw or by providing lateral play for accomodation of theangular movement.

It is one of the more detailed features of the present invention thatthe adjusting screw 70 which controls the pressure exerted between theform roller 42 and ink drum 40 incorporates a detented seating member,upon which the head of the screw is seated, which is rotatable betweendetents at different axial levels to bring about an endwise shiftingmovement of the adjusting screw accompanied by compression of theassociated spring and independent throw-off between the form tentedseating member upon which the screw heads 71 seats has a pair of axialprojections 151, 152 which normally mate with deeply detented surfaces153, 154. The latter surfaces are s ufficiently deep so that the seatingmember 75 remains stationarywhen the screw head 71 is rotated,notwithstanding the presence of projections 155 and cooperating detents156 which provide a clickadjustment for the adjusting screw. in carryingout the invention the detented seating member 75 has the same profile asthe head 71','both being hexagonal in the present instance, so that whenthe screw head 71 and the seating member 75 are both engaged by a deepsocket wrench for simultaneous turning, the projections 151, 152 on themember 75 are cammed upwardly out of the deep detents 153, 154 intoshallower detents 157, 158 which are at a higher level. Such outwardcamming causes the adjusting screw 70 to be retracted endwise, thuscausing the bearing mount 61, which is coupled by post 79 to the tip ofthe adjusting screw, to be drawn backwardly. This swings the bearingmount 61 about the stud 60 so that the form roller 62 breaks contactwith the surface of the ink drum as indicated at 159 in FIG. 9.

independent throw-ofi of the form roller 62 from the plate cylinder 11is accomplished, in the same way, by the detented seating member 115associated with the adjusting screw 110. Thus the seating member 115,interposed under the head 111 of the adjusting screw 110, has a pair ofprojections 161, 162 which are normally received in deep detents 163,164. When a deep socket wrench is applied to members 111, 115 forrotation together, the projections 161, 162 are cammed upeardly out ofthe deep detents 163, 164 to detents 167, 168 located at a higher level,which is accompanied by axial retraction of the screw 110, compressionof the spring 116, and swinging movement of the arm 51 in a directionaway from the plate cylinder, thereby retracting the form roller 42 fromthe plate cylinder to achieve separation as indicated at 169 in H6. 9.Throw-off of the form roller 42a from the ink drum 40 and the platecylinder 11 may be independently achieved in the same fashion since theconstruction of the socket 50a corresponds to that of the socket 50.

Regardless of whether the throw-off between the form rollers 42, 42afrom the plate cylinder 11 is brought about automatically incident tothe throw-off of the plate cylinder from the impression cylinder 12 orindependently by means of the detented seating members 75, 115 as justdescribed, the surface of the plate cylinder is freed for servicing orchanging of printing plates. The independent throw-off provided by theseating members 115, 115a is particularly advantageous in structuressimilar to the described but where the cam ring is concentric with theplate cylinder axis and which do not, therefore, have the feature ofautomatic throw-off of the form rollers. It is to be particularly notedthat independent throwofl' provided by the seating members 75, and 75a,115a, is achieved by bodily shifting of the adjusting screws withoutdisturbing the condition of threaded adjustment. Also it may be notedthat rotation of the'collars 16 at each end of the plate cylinder 11through a predetermined angle from a running condition to thecooperating with each collar to precisely define collar positions forrunning and throw-off. Thus the press may be'ftemporarilyshut down andthe, plate cylinder thrown off as required, for example,followingbreakage-of a web, and the press subsequently restarted withoutrequiring any readjustment of the controls.

in the construction described above the adjusting screws"70,-l lon-theroller socket have-heads7l, 11 1 in the form of captive nuts, withrelative adjustment beingbrought about turning the screws relative tothe threaded members 79, 119, respectively, into which the screwsarethreaded, It will be apparent'to oneskilledin the art, however, thatrigid captivity may beprovided at the members 79, 119 and that the pinsin'the nuts 71,

111 may be removedto make the latter tumably adv justable withoutdeparting from the present invention.

-As stated, the invention is particularly applicable to plates havingonly a shallow relief surrounding the printing areas, referred to as lowrelief plates. It will beunderstood, however, that use of theinventionis not necessarily limited thereto and that the invention maybe employed advantageously for flat adjustment under running conditionseven in the case of plates having an intermediate or high degree ofrelief.

What we claim is:

1. In a web fed printing press using low relief printing plates, thecombination comprising a frame, a plate cylinder having stubshafts,eccentric collars interposed between the frame and the stubshafts, arotatable impression cylinder cooperating with the plate cylinder, meansfor rocking the collars thereby to'change the spacing between the axisof the plate cylinder and the axis of the impression cylinder, an inkdrum spaced from the plate cylinder and carrying a film of ink, a pairof resilient form rollers on opposite sides of the ink drum and runningin engagement with the ink drum and the plate on the plate cylinder forconveying a film of ink to the plate, the form roller having socketsmounted on the frame and guided for movement toward and away from theplate cylinder, means for biasing the sockets toward the plate cylinder,cam rings mounted in the respective collars, the cam rings presentingsloping stop surfaces respectively interposed in the paths of movementof the sockets to establish a working position corresponding to thedesired width of flat at the ink rollers, control members secured to theframe and coupled to the rings for rocking the rings to permitadjustment of the width of flat while the press is in motion, the axisof the rings being eccentric with respect to the axis of the platecylinder so that when the collars are rotated to achieve throw-offbetween the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder the cam surfaceson the ring move radially outward relative to the plate cylinder inlifting engagement with the ink roller sockets for throwing off the inkrollers with respect to the plate cylinder.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the control member isin the form of an adjusting screw mounted generally at right angles tothe ring radius for rocking the ring through a small are when the platecylinder is in running position and serving to restrain the ring againstrocking movement when the collars are rocked for throw-off.

3. In a web' fed printingpress using low relief printing plates, thecombination comprising a frame, a plate cylinder'having stubshafts,eccentric collars interposed between'the frame and the stubshafts forjournaling the latter, .a rotatable impression cylinder cooperating withthe plate cylinder, an'ink drum spaced from the plate cylinder andcarrying a film of ink, a pair of resilient form rollers running'inengagement withthe ink drum and with the plate on the plate cylinderforconveying a film of ink to the-plate,- the form rollers havingsockets mounted on the frame and guided for movement toward and awayfrom the-plate'cylinder, means 'for separately biasing the socketstoward the plate cylinder, cam rings mounted in the respective collarsfor relative rocking movement, each of the cam rings presenting a pairof sloping stop surfaces interposed in v the path of movement of thesockets to establish a working position for the sockets corresponding toa desired width of-flatat the ink rollers, each of said'cam rings havingan adjusting screw engaging the cam ring at one end and the frame at theother and arranged generally perpendicularly to the cam ring radius sothat when the adjusting screws are rotated different portions of thesloping stop surfaces are presented to the roller sockets thereby tochange width of the flats at the form'rollers simultaneously while thepress is in motion, means for simultaneously rocking the eccentriccollars to separate .the' plate cylinder from the impression cylinder,the rings being rotatable about a common axis which is slightlyeccentric with respect to the rocking axis of the collars and withrespect to the axis of the plate cylinder so that when the collars arerotated the sloping stop surfaces move radially outward with respect tothe plate cylinder thereby to achieve separa-' tion between the formrollers and the plate on the plate cylinder.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which the axis of the platecylinder lies between the axis of rocking of the collars and the ringaxis.

5. In a web fed printing press using low relief printing plates, thecombination comprising a frame, a plate cylinder having stubshaftsjournaled with respect to the frame, a rotatable impression cylindercooperating with the plate cylinder, an ink drum spaced from the platecylinder and carrying a film of ink, a resilient form roller running inengagement with the ink drum and with the plate on the plate cylinderfor conveying a film of ink to the plate, the form roller having asocket including an arm pivoted to the frame and a bearing mount pivotedto the am, the point of pivoting of the arm being located in the regionof engagement between the fonn roller and the ink drum and the point ofpivoting of the bearing mount being located in the region of engagementbetween the form roller and the plate cylinder, means for biasing thearm toward the plate cylinder, said arm having an adjustable stopmounted thereon, a cam ring rockably mounted with respect to the frameat the end of the plate cylinder and presenting a sloping stop surfaceinterposed in the path of movement of the stop on the arm thereby tohold the arm in a position corresponding to a desired amount of flatbetween the form roller and plate, and a control member secured to theframe and coupled to the ring for rocking the ring thereby to present adifferent portion of the sloping stop surface to the stop to permit adllI justment of the width of flat while the press is in motion. v

6. The combination as claimed in claim including a second form rollerand form roller socket symmetrically arranged on the opposite side ofthe ink drum and cylinder having stubshafts journale d with respect tothe frame, a rotatable impression cylinder cooperating with the platecylinder, an ink drum spaced from the plate cylinder and carrying afilm'of ink,'a resilient form roller running in engagement with the ink drumand with the plate on the plate cylinder for conveying a film of .ink tothe plate, the form roller having a socket, the socket including an armpivoted to the frame in the region of engagement between the form rollerand the ink drum, a bearing mount for journaling the end of the formroller, said'bearing' mount being pivoted to the arm in the region ofengagement between the form roller and the plate cylinder, firstpositioning means for holding the bearing mount in adjusted positionwith respect to the arm, a stop member on the arm, second positioningmeans for holding the stop member in adjusted position with respect tothe arm, a spring mounted on the frame for urging the arm in thedirection of the plate cylinder, a cam interposed in the path ofmovement of the stop member on the arm for positioning the arm therebyto determine the width of flat between the form roller and the plate onthe plate cylinder, and means mounted on the frame for changing theposition of the cam and thereby changing the radial position of the stopmember for bringing about an adjustment of the width of flat while thepress is in motion.

8. The combination as claimed in claim'7 in which the first and secondpositioning means each includes a rotatable adjusting screw foradjusting the distance between the axis of the form roller and the axesof the ink drum and plate cylinder respectively.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 8 in which I each adjusting screwhas a spring together with detent means for shifting the screw endwisewith simultaneous compression of the spring to achieve independentthrow-off of the form roller from the ink drum and plate cylinderrespectively.

[0, in a web fed printing press, the combination comprising a frame, aplate cylinder and a cooperating impression cylinder joumaled intheframe and having means for driving in synchronism, an ink drum spacedfrom the plate cylinder and carrying a film of ink, a resilient formroller running in engagement with the ink drum and with the plate on theplate cylinder for conveying a film of ink to the plate, socketassemblies at the ends of the form roller, each socket assemblyincluding an arm pivoted to the frame in the region of engagementbetween the form roller and the ink drum, a bearing mount for journalingthe end of the form roller, said bearing mount being pivoted to the armin the region of engagement between-the form roller and the platecylinder, means including a first adjusting screw and spring for holdinthe bearing mount in adjusted position with respect 0 the arm, a stopmember on the arm, means including a second adjusting screw and a springfor holding the stop member in adjusted position with respect to thearm, a spring mounted on the frame for urging the arm in the directionof the plate cylinder, a shallow cam movably mounted with respect to theframe and in the path of movement of the stop member on the arm forpositioningthe arm thereby to determine the width of flat between theform roller and the plate on the plate cylinder, each screw having ahead engageable by a wrench for adjusting the screw and an adjacentdeeply detented seating member engageable by a wrench for the purpose ofshifting the screw endwise with simultaneous compression of the springto achieve independent throw-off of the form roller from the ink drumand plate cylinder respectively.

11. The combination as claimed in claim 10 in which the deeply detentedseating member lies immediately adjacent the head of the screw and is ofcorresponding profile for simultaneous deep engagement of both of themby a socket wrench to achieve throw-off.

1. In a web fed printing press using low relief printing plates, thecombination comprising a frame, a plate cylinder having stubshafts,eccentric collars interposed between the frame and the stubshafts, arotatable impression cylinder cooperating with the plate cylinder, meansfor rocking the collars thereby to change the spacing between the axisof the plate cylinder and the axis of the impression cylinder, an inkdrum spaced from the plate cYlinder and carrying a film of ink, a pairof resilient form rollers on opposite sides of the ink drum and runningin engagement with the ink drum and the plate on the plate cylinder forconveying a film of ink to the plate, the form roller having socketsmounted on the frame and guided for movement toward and away from theplate cylinder, means for biasing the sockets toward the plate cylinder,cam rings mounted in the respective collars, the cam rings presentingsloping stop surfaces respectively interposed in the paths of movementof the sockets to establish a working position corresponding to thedesired width of flat at the ink rollers, control members secured to theframe and coupled to the rings for rocking the rings to permitadjustment of the width of flat while the press is in motion, the axisof the rings being eccentric with respect to the axis of the platecylinder so that when the collars are rotated to achieve throw-offbetween the plate cylinder and the impression cylinder the cam surfaceson the ring move radially outward relative to the plate cylinder inlifting engagement with the ink roller sockets for throwing off the inkrollers with respect to the plate cylinder.
 2. The combination asclaimed in claim 1 in which the control member is in the form of anadjusting screw mounted generally at right angles to the ring radius forrocking the ring through a small arc when the plate cylinder is inrunning position and serving to restrain the ring against rockingmovement when the collars are rocked for throw-off.
 3. In a web fedprinting press using low relief printing plates, the combinationcomprising a frame, a plate cylinder having stubshafts, eccentriccollars interposed between the frame and the stubshafts for journalingthe latter, a rotatable impression cylinder cooperating with the platecylinder, an ink drum spaced from the plate cylinder and carrying a filmof ink, a pair of resilient form rollers running in engagement with theink drum and with the plate on the plate cylinder for conveying a filmof ink to the plate, the form rollers having sockets mounted on theframe and guided for movement toward and away from the plate cylinder,means for separately biasing the sockets toward the plate cylinder, camrings mounted in the respective collars for relative rocking movement,each of the cam rings presenting a pair of sloping stop surfacesinterposed in the path of movement of the sockets to establish a workingposition for the sockets corresponding to a desired width of flat at theink rollers, each of said cam rings having an adjusting screw engagingthe cam ring at one end and the frame at the other and arrangedgenerally perpendicularly to the cam ring radius so that when theadjusting screws are rotated different portions of the sloping stopsurfaces are presented to the roller sockets thereby to change width ofthe flats at the form rollers simultaneously while the press is inmotion, means for simultaneously rocking the eccentric collars toseparate the plate cylinder from the impression cylinder, the ringsbeing rotatable about a common axis which is slightly eccentric withrespect to the rocking axis of the collars and with respect to the axisof the plate cylinder so that when the collars are rotated the slopingstop surfaces move radially outward with respect to the plate cylinderthereby to achieve separation between the form rollers and the plate onthe plate cylinder.
 4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 in whichthe axis of the plate cylinder lies between the axis of rocking of thecollars and the ring axis.
 5. In a web fed printing press using lowrelief printing plates, the combination comprising a frame, a platecylinder having stubshafts journaled with respect to the frame, arotatable impression cylinder cooperating with the plate cylinder, anink drum spaced from the plate cylinder and carrying a film of ink, aresilient form roller running in engagement with the ink drum and withthe plate on the plate cylinDer for conveying a film of ink to theplate, the form roller having a socket including an arm pivoted to theframe and a bearing mount pivoted to the arm, the point of pivoting ofthe arm being located in the region of engagement between the formroller and the ink drum and the point of pivoting of the bearing mountbeing located in the region of engagement between the form roller andthe plate cylinder, means for biasing the arm toward the plate cylinder,said arm having an adjustable stop mounted thereon, a cam ring rockablymounted with respect to the frame at the end of the plate cylinder andpresenting a sloping stop surface interposed in the path of movement ofthe stop on the arm thereby to hold the arm in a position correspondingto a desired amount of flat between the form roller and plate, and acontrol member secured to the frame and coupled to the ring for rockingthe ring thereby to present a different portion of the sloping stopsurface to the stop to permit adjustment of the width of flat while thepress is in motion.
 6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 including asecond form roller and form roller socket symmetrically arranged on theopposite side of the ink drum and in which the cam ring has a secondsloping stop surface for simultaneously positioning the second rollersocket for simultaneous adjustment of the flats at both of the formrollers.
 7. In a web fed printing press using low relief printingplates, the combination comprising a frame, a plate cylinder havingstubshafts journaled with respect to the frame, a rotatable impressioncylinder cooperating with the plate cylinder, an ink drum spaced fromthe plate cylinder and carrying a film of ink, a resilient form rollerrunning in engagement with the ink drum and with the plate on the platecylinder for conveying a film of ink to the plate, the form rollerhaving a socket, the socket including an arm pivoted to the frame in theregion of engagement between the form roller and the ink drum, a bearingmount for journaling the end of the form roller, said bearing mountbeing pivoted to the arm in the region of engagement between the formroller and the plate cylinder, first positioning means for holding thebearing mount in adjusted position with respect to the arm, a stopmember on the arm, second positioning means for holding the stop memberin adjusted position with respect to the arm, a spring mounted on theframe for urging the arm in the direction of the plate cylinder, a caminterposed in the path of movement of the stop member on the arm forpositioning the arm thereby to determine the width of flat between theform roller and the plate on the plate cylinder, and means mounted onthe frame for changing the position of the cam and thereby changing theradial position of the stop member for bringing about an adjustment ofthe width of flat while the press is in motion.
 8. The combination asclaimed in claim 7 in which the first and second positioning means eachincludes a rotatable adjusting screw for adjusting the distance betweenthe axis of the form roller and the axes of the ink drum and platecylinder respectively.
 9. The combination as claimed in claim 8 in whicheach adjusting screw has a spring together with detent means forshifting the screw endwise with simultaneous compression of the springto achieve independent throw-off of the form roller from the ink drumand plate cylinder respectively. 10, In a web fed printing press, thecombination comprising a frame, a plate cylinder and a cooperatingimpression cylinder journaled in the frame and having means for drivingin synchronism, an ink drum spaced from the plate cylinder and carryinga film of ink, a resilient form roller running in engagement with theink drum and with the plate on the plate cylinder for conveying a filmof ink to the plate, socket assemblies at the ends of the form roller,each socket assembly including an arm pivoted to the frame in the regionof engagement between the form roller and the ink druM, a bearing mountfor journaling the end of the form roller, said bearing mount beingpivoted to the arm in the region of engagement between the form rollerand the plate cylinder, means including a first adjusting screw andspring for holding the bearing mount in adjusted position with respectto the arm, a stop member on the arm, means including a second adjustingscrew and spring for holding the stop member in adjusted position withrespect to the arm, a spring mounted on the frame for urging the arm inthe direction of the plate cylinder, a shallow cam movably mounted withrespect to the frame and in the path of movement of the stop member onthe arm for positioning the arm thereby to determine the width of flatbetween the form roller and the plate on the plate cylinder, each screwhaving a head engageable by a wrench for adjusting the screw and anadjacent deeply detented seating member engageable by a wrench for thepurpose of shifting the screw endwise with simultaneous compression ofthe spring to achieve independent throw-off of the form roller from theink drum and plate cylinder respectively.
 11. The combination as claimedin claim 10 in which the deeply detented seating member lies immediatelyadjacent the head of the screw and is of corresponding profile forsimultaneous deep engagement of both of them by a socket wrench toachieve throw-off.